On Boredom

There is a website called NationStates where I go to play. At this website you can create your own nation, enact laws and communicate with like-minded leaders of nations. Yesterday I sent a message that I was bored and I needed some action. What I was actually saying was I was sick of being a dictator who doesn't care about her people. I decided to create a new nation that is all sweetness and light. How long that is going to keep me entertained is anybody's guess.

Interestingly enough, last night's Star Trek Voyager episode, called Night, was a mirror image of my boredom. Here's the synopsis:

"The U.S.S. Voyager has entered a desolate region of space with no star systems in sight for two years, and the crew is slowly going crazy. The only activity in this vast expanse is some high levels of theta radiation."

There is one scene where the senior officers are having a briefing to update the Second in command of ship business. Everything is in perfect order. There is nothing new to report. Some crew members are using this opportunity to create new programmes on the holodeck to keep themselves occupied. One member is so affected by the void he has panic attacks. The doctor tells him he's suffering from Nihiliphobia, which is fear of nothingness.

In the meantime, this is the captain's state of mind:

"With nothing to distract her mind from its deepest thoughts, Janeway has retreated to her quarters and is agonizing over her past decisions that brought the crew to the Delta Quadrant. Suddenly, the ship loses power and is left in total darkness."

The crew discover there are intruders on board. The intruders are "night beings" who live in the void. They had been living in peace for years until an alien species called the Malon started poisoning their system. One night being asks Captain Janeway for assistance. This is exactly what the captain was looking for, something, anything, to distract her from her depression.

The crew discover the Malon have been dumping their antimatter waste in the void, which is having a detrimental effect on the void aliens. Janeway offers one Malon technology that will purify their waste which they could recycle. He declines because he believes such a technology will put him out of business. Captain Janeway and her crew decide to close the vortex the Malon ships use to dump their waste. They go into battle with the Malon and succeed. When the Voyager crew come out of the void they are back in normal space with stars and planets.

In a way, the human existence is similar to what the crew on Voyager were going through. I wonder how many of us would appreciate life if everything was perfect? We are always looking for new challenges. We create problems and obstacles so we can find solutions. All this takes time and keeps us occupied.

It seems to me everything is perfect as it is. What we call disasters, pain and suffering is part of what we are all creating. When you get bored of a certain way of life, you change to another. It is always based on personal choice.